These images are from a project called In My Skin about young people under 25 in the UK who are challenging their body image.
I am looking at those who have had or are considering having cosmetic surgery in order to become more acceptable to themselves and achieve their ideal of being "beautiful."
Social consensus in Western society today is particularly focused on physical beauty and achieving and maintaining the "perfect" face and body.
Intertwined with this I am also documenting body dysmorphia as young people try to conform to this social expectation, resulting in eating disorders and body transformation.
Lastly, I am documenting transgenderism and the struggle young people have to live within a body they were born into but have no affiliation with.
— Michelle Sank
Award winnerIn My SkinMichelle Sank’s project looks at young people under the age of 25 in the UK who have had or are considering having cosmetic surgery in order to become more acceptable to themselves and achieve their ideal of being “beautiful”.View Images
Award winner
In My Skin
Michelle Sank’s project looks at young people under the age of 25 in the UK who have had or are considering having cosmetic surgery in order to become more acceptable to themselves and achieve their ideal of being “beautiful”.
In My Skin
Michelle Sank’s project looks at young people under the age of 25 in the UK who have had or are considering having cosmetic surgery in order to become more acceptable to themselves and achieve their ideal of being “beautiful”.
Trending this Week
Call Me Heena: Hijra, The Third Gender
“I feel like a mermaid. My body tells me that I am a man but my soul tells me that I am a woman…” A penetrating, multi-year report on a unique group of people—who fall outside of Western notions of gender—trying to carve out a...
Announcing the LensCulture Art Photography 2018 Award Winners!
Dango
Inspired by Japan’s popular three-tiered dessert, these colorful triptychs capture snippets of vibrant street life during the country’s busy flower season.
The Making of Photobooks: Insight From Kehrer Verlag’s Acquisitions Editor
Down to earth and practical advice from inside one of the world’s most respected photobook publishers—ranging from how to stand out in a crowd and where to get discovered plus much more.
American Interiors
While working as a valet at a Veterans Affairs Hospital, M L Casteel created a series that uses photographs of car interiors to illustrate the psychological repercussions of war.
Best of August 2018: Deadlines for Competitions, Grants, Festivals and More
Our editors have put together a curated list of worthwhile (and imminent) deadlines for photographers, as well as some upcoming festivals around the world—have a look and best of luck!
Related
Gentlemen’s Club
The first prize series winner of our 2017 Portrait Awards focuses on the oft-overlooked other half of the prostitution business—the clients themselves.
Portraits from Mozambique
On assignment for Save the Children, a photographer witnesses the unconditional love and concern of a father for his daughter.
Desertification in China
20% of China is desert—and that percentage is growing. From howling sandstorms to abandoned villages, this documentary report reveals one of China’s most pressing environmental problems today.
When You Were Dying
In this series of work, Rana Javadi starts with old photographs from a famous Iranian photography studio, and then layers them with vintage fabrics, dying flowers and tarnished mirrors — creating a nostalgic tribute to a bygone era of easy living...
Illuminance
Inspired by the subtle aesthetic of
wabi-sabi—a philosophy of reduction, modesty and the beauty of imperfection—these luminous images offer an enchanting gaze on the world around us.
Video Interview: Alain Laboile
A wonderful, insightful, candid interview with French photographer Alain Laboile, a self-taught master of intimate photography whose subject is his own family.